Spring Football: Urban Meyer Debuts, Arkansas Scores And Hokies Recruit

VIDEO: Marlin Lane Scores Unintended Touchdown For Tennessee

Spring Football Review: Urban Meyer, Mike Leach And The Tyler Wilson Show

The second-to-last weekend of significant spring activity saw new coaches tease their products, returning stars raise expectations and some newcomers show early signs.

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Tennessee Lost Its Spring Game To North Carolina State

Undeterred, Arkansas Fans Show Up For Spring Game

2012 West Virginia Spring Game Results: Offense Effective, Yet Defense Prevails

West Virginia ended its 2011 season by aerating Clemson in the 2012 Orange Bowl, putting up 70 points in an evisceration of the Tigers. For their spring game on Saturday, the Mountaineers toned down the offense a bit. But only just a bit.

Geno Smith threw for 281 yards and two touchdowns. His backup, Paul Millard, threw for 253 yards. Three interceptions by the two quarterbacks helped the Blue defense down the Gold offense, 43-34. The defense earned five points for each three-and-out, and three points for each drive stop, interception, and fumble recovery.

West Virginia is transitioning to a 3-4 defensive scheme after running a 3-3-5 in Dana Holgorsen's first year, and Holgorsen is pleased with his young defense's progress.

"The trend lately has been the defense getting after the offense for about the last five practices," Holgorsen said. "The first 10, offensively we did some good things, but probably in particular, the last five or six practices, the defense has been doing a lot better."

For more on West Virginia, visit The Smoking Musket.

2012 Virginia Tech Spring Game Results: Weather Cancels Game, But Not Recruiting

Virginia Tech didn't get to play its 2012 spring game on Saturday as planned, thanks to a storm system that rolled through Blacksburg. But the parade of coveted recruits in town to see it didn't seem to mind, and the Hokies had a superb weekend on the recruiting front, locking up five verbal commitments from visiting prospects in the class of 2013, and their first from the class of 2014.

The top prize was the verbal commitment of Bucky Hodges, a 6'5", 225-pound dual-threat quarterback who could very well be the heir apparent to the similarly-statured Logan Thomas. Rivals lists Hodges as the No. 13 quarterback in the class of 2013.

The Hokies also received pledges from defensive back Charles Clark, offensive linemen Braxton Pfaff and Parker Osterloh, as well as linebacker Andrew Motu'apuaka, all Virginia natives and high school seniors-to-be. The Hokies got an additional verbal commitment from 2014 defensive end Vincent Mihota.

For more on the Hokies, visit Gobbler Country.

Football Recruiting 2013: Virginia Tech Dominates, But Ohio State And Notre Dame Make Gains

This weekend's round of spring games wasn't quite the commitments bonanza we've seen in previous spring game en masse weekends, at least for teams besides the Virginia Tech Hokies. Despite not even being able to play their spring game due to inclement weather, VPI picked up commitments from quarterback Bucky Hodges, defensive back Charles Clark, offensive lineman Parker Osterloh, offensive lineman Braxton Pfaff and linebacker Andrew Motu'apuaka.

Hodges is rated a four-star by most services, while the others mostly get three-star ratings. The Hokies also reportedly got their first 2014 commit, Fredricksburg defensive end Vincent Mihota. All six hail from Virginia.

Still, Frank Beamer didn't hog all of the recruits.

The West Virginia Mountaineers had a big day of their own, adding New Jersey offensive lineman Marcell Lazard and Pennsylvania running back DeShawn Coleman. Lazard is a consensus three-star with a lengthy offer sheet, while Coleman is an up-and-comer.

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish add near-consensus four-star offensive lineman John Montelus of Massachusetts, while the Ohio St. Buckeyes picked up consensus four-star outside linebacker Alex Anzalone from Pennsylvania. Each school now has 11 commitments for 2013.

In ACC and soon-to-be ACC recruiting, the Maryland Terrapins picked up Baltimore three-star dual-threat quarterback Shane Cockerille, and the Pittsburgh Panthers added versatile curiosity Shakir Soto of Pennsylvania.

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2012 Washington State Spring Game Results: Mike Leach Displays New Cougs

Mike Leach rolled out his high-powered offense in front of a crowd of about 10,000 fans in Spokane on Saturday as the Washington State Cougars beat the Washington State Cougars, 28-27. The score didn't matter, and was somewhat of an odd system not meant to be indicative of performance. The offense was always in crimson and the defense was always in gray, with the latter picking up points for sacks and stops, much like a fantasy league. The defense also got what appeared to be a 20-point head-start.

Jeff Tuel came out on fire, completing 15-straight passes, including an 80-yard touchdown to Marquess Wilson on the third play from scrimmage. Tuel finally cooled off, missing on his 16th throw and finishing the day 19-of-21 for 285 yards and two touchdowns, perhaps a sign of things to come with Mike Leach pulling the strings. Wilson finished with four catches for 149 yards and a touchdown, responding with authority to Leach's criticism of his work ethic.

Wilson's "backup," Dominique Williams, who will spell the star receiver on the outside this season, also had a breakout day, catching five passes for 121 yards and a touchdown. Running back Carl Winston also hauled in a short touchdown pass.

Sophomore Logan Mayes notched a whopping 4.5 sacks, though that number was misleading. As is tradition during the spring, plays were whistled dead when the quarterback was touched, perhaps inflating the sack numbers a bit. The defense finished with nine touch sacks, including 1.5 by Toni Pole.

Washington State will practice again on Tuesday before retiring until fall camp, giving the offense ample time to rep Leach's system throughout the summer.

For more on the Cougars, head over to CougCenter and SB Nation Seattle.

2012 Tennessee Spring Game Results: Orange Beats White 17-14

Derek Dooley experienced a mass exodus of assistant coaches from his Tennessee Volunteers staff this offseason and his team is coming off of a rough 2011. Much more is going to be expected out of quarterback Tyler Bray, who had a better spring game on Saturday at Neyland Stadium than he did last season, but he still didn't look terrific for the Vols in Orange's 17-14 win over White.

Tennessee Volunteers blog Rocky Top Talk recaps the action.

Tyler Bray improved on last year's spring game, going 14 of 26 for 157 yards and a touchdown to Mychal Rivera, but failed to get the White team in scoring position in the fourth quarter with a steak dinner on the line. But he reminded everyone of his ability with a perfect strike off his back foot to Blanc for a first half 4th down conversion. Quarterbacking the Orange, Justin Worley went 17 of 26 and looked solid finding running backs and tight ends, but an ugly interception to John Propst marred an otherwise fine outing.

In a familiar, but depressing, turn of events, the Vol special teams again left something to be desired. Starting kicker Michael Palardy missing his only field goal attempt, badly shanking a 32 yard effort, and one of his extra point tries was partially blocked against a defense that wasn't allowed to rush the kicker. Derrick Brodus went 1 for 2, hitting from 37 and missing from 27.

Ball so hard, that ish Bray.

For more on Vols football, head over to Tennessee Volunteers blog Rocky Top Talk and SEC football blog Team Speed Kills.

2012 Arkansas Spring Game Results: Post-Petrino Era Begins

Less than a month after former Arkansas Razorbacks head coach Bobby Petrino crashed his motorcycle with his alleged mistress on it, lied about it, paid her $20,000 and gave her a job, then consequently lost his own job, the football team played it's annual spring game to try to get the fans excited about Razorbacks football yet again.

It worked.

Quarterback Tyler Wilson, fresh off leading the Hogs to one of their best seasons ever from an offensive standpoint, was 31-41 for 467 yards and three touchdowns in leading the Red team to a 65-0 win over the White. Though Wilson is missing some of his favorite targets from last year's team, he managed to find receiver Chris Graggs for two touchdowns in the first half, signaling an early connection between the two.

Couple Wilson's performance with the anticipated return of running back Knile Davis from last year's season-ending knee injury, and there are plenty of reasons to be excited again in Fayetteville. Just don't go joyriding over it.

For news, notes and analysis on the Razorbacks, check out Arkansas Expats and SEC blog Team Speed Kills.

2012 Penn State Spring Game Results: First Spring Game Without Paterno Goes Off Without Hitch

Emotions were running high in State College for the first Blue-White spring football game in nearly a half-century without the late Joe Paterno stalking the sidelines in his traditional khakis-and-black-sneakers garb. Instead, first-year head coach Bill O'Brien, the former offensive coordinator of the New England Patriots, was wearing sweats, a headset and was holding on tightly to his playsheet, and it was kind of weird for everybody. From the AP report:

The day started with a local florist delivering 409 bouquets of blue and white carnations to the statue - one for each of Paterno's career victories. Emotions among some fans are still raw after Paterno was ousted by school trustees in the aftermath of child sexual abuse charges against retired defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky.

...

But most fans also say they're looking forward to the future under O'Brien, the former offensive coordinator of the New England Patriots.

The Penn St. Nittany Lions used three quarterbacks — senior Matt McGloin started, as expected — and each one threw an interception as they continue to learn O'Brien's pro-style offense. Starting running back Silas Redd didn't play much, and his backups, Zack Zwinak and Bill Belton, carried most of the load.

For more on everything Penn State, check out Black Shoe Diaries and visit Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire.

2012 Ohio State Spring Game Results: Urban Meyer Makes Aerial Debut

With an announced 81,000 in attendance for Urban Meyer's public debut, the Ohio St. Buckeyes put on a little bit of a show. Quarterback Braxton Miller, Meyer's prized weapon, put together a 65-yard touchdown drive in the first two minutes, and we were off. Miller went four-of-four on the drive.

Miller's Scarlet team topped Kenny Guiton's Grey, 20-14, meaning Grey has some community service work ahead. Guiton held his own on the day, going 16-of-24, while Miller was a solid 24-of-31. An Ohio State quarterback threw 31 passes in a half or so, and now we've seen it all.

Ryan Shazier was the defensive star, with seven tackles. Freshman Michael Thomas broke out on offense with 12 catches ... which would've nearly been the season high among all Buckeye receivers last year.

Meyer's new spring tradition of pouring pressure on his kickers continued, and at one point he halted action in order to have Drew Basil try six attempts of increasing difficulty. The coach motioned for the crowd to make more and more noise during the demonstration, which topped out at a missed 58-yarder. Last week, Meyer had a mob of fans surround his kicking unit on the field.

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For more on Buckeyes football, visit Ohio State blog Land-Grant Holy Land, plus Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire and SB Nation Cleveland.

2012 Notre Dame Spring Game Results: Everett Golson Puts Pressure On QB Tommy Rees

After an extended quarterback controversy in the regular season last year, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are hoping for more certainty from the signal-callers this year. Tommy Rees, who will be a junior in the fall, grabbed hold of the job, but after a lackluster spring performance — and a stellar showing from his backup, rising sophomore Everett Golson — there may again be a controversy.

Golson was 11-15 for 120 yards and two touchdowns in his time under center in the Irish's 83rd annual Blue-Gold game, easily outperforming Rees, who completed just seven of his 14 attempts for 84 yards, and he was intercepted once. Andrew Hendrix, another candidate for the position, threw an interception.

Many observers may only be curious about the spring game's results to evaluate true freshman quarterback Gunner Kiel's performance. Kiel, if you remember, spurned LSU to attend Notre Dame -- a slight Les Miles won't soon be forgetting. Kiel took all the snaps in the running-clock, 16-minutes second half, and went 5-9 for 57 yards and an interception.

For everything you need to know about Notre Dame football, check out One Foot Down.

Ohio State Steals Spring Game Attendance Crown From Alabama

Here we have the closest thing to an actual college football competition since National Signing Day: the annual spring game attendance mark. Your winner is Urban Meyer's Ohio St. Buckeyes, who topped the Alabama Crimson Tide by a couple thousand.

Alabama spring game attendance: 78,526. Ohio State spring game attendance: 81,112 #umad

— Land-Grant Holy Land (@Landgrant33) April 21, 2012

The Buckeyes also hold the all-time record, crediting themselves with 95,722 in 2009. Bama's high is 92,183, from Nick Saban's first year.

It's a down-ish year for spring game attendance at many schools, as both of these programs have yielded bigger numbers in prior years. Still, after reading this, you can be assured Bama will do whatever it takes to bring out a full six digits next year.

This is extremely important, you guys. It's not final, of course, as Kansas, UMass and Rutgers are among those with chances to challenge for the title. Feeling good about UMass.

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For more on Buckeyes football, visit Ohio State blog Land-Grant Holy Land, plus Big Ten blog Off Tackle Empire and SB Nation Cleveland.

PHOTO: Mississippi State Gives Up Yardage To Sugarland

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2012 Spring Game TV Schedule, April 21: Arkansas, Ohio State, Tennessee In Action

Only two weekends of spring football remain before the long, hot march to September. Watch some meaningless football while you still can!

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Gunner Kiel To Honor Uncle At Notre Dame Spring Game